Author: Serkadis

Mercedes-Benz officially announced today that Michael Schumacher will return to Formula One in 2010 with the Silver Arrows team. Schumacher, 40, has signed a three-year deal with Mercedes GP and will reunite with Ross Brawn, with whom he won all 7 of his World Championships.

The winner of 91 F1 races will partner up with Mercedes GP team driver Niko Rosberg.

Schumacher originally retired at the end of the 2006 season, 11 years after racing with Ferrari.

Click through for the official press release.

Press Release:

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER JOINS MERCEDES GP PETRONAS

The MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One Team can confirm today that seven-times Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher will make his racing return in 2010 with the Silver Arrows team.

With seven Drivers’ World Championships, 248 Grand Prix starts, 91 victories, 154 podium finishes and 68 pole positions, the 40-year old German needs no introduction following an illustrious and record-breaking Formula One career from 1991 to 2006 at the Jordan, Benetton and Ferrari teams.

Michael’s return to racing with MERCEDES GP PETRONAS sees his return to Mercedes-Benz Motorsport where he began his racing apprenticeship as part of the Junior Programme in 1990, racing in Group C sports cars and DTM, and sees Michael renew his partnership with Ross Brawn with whom he won all seven of his World Championships.

Today’s announcement confirms the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver line-up for the 2010 season with Michael partnering his compatriot, 24 year old Nico Rosberg, in the Silver Arrows cars.

Michael Schumacher: “MERCEDES GP PETRONAS represents a new challenge for me both in a sporting and a personal context. It is a new chapter in my racing career and I am really looking forward to working with my old friend Ross Brawn and my companions from my days with the Mercedes Junior Programme. I am convinced that together we will be involved in the fight for the Formula 1 World Championship next year and I am already looking forward to getting back onto the race track. For me, this partnership closes the circle. Mercedes supported me for so many years when I began my Formula 1 career and now I can hopefully give something back to the brand with the star.”

Nico Rosberg: “It is fantastic that Michael is returning to Formula One and will be my team-mate at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS. It’s a great challenge for me to be up against one of the best drivers of all time. I’m sure that we will form a very strong partnership as he will have lost none of his speed! It is also great news for our sport and the fans.”

Ross Brawn, Team Principal of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS: “I am delighted that we can confirm today that Michael will make his much-anticipated return to Formula One next year and drive for our MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team. As seven-time World Champion, Michael’s outstanding record in Formula One speaks for itself and I am looking forward to working with him again. With the completion of our driver line-up, I believe that we now have the most exciting partnership in Formula One with Michael and Nico, who provide the perfect mix of talent, experience, speed and youth. We can now turn our full attention to the preparations for the new season and everyone at MERCEDES GP PETRONAS is extremely excited about the challenge ahead. With the investment and support in our team provided by Daimler, Aabar and our new title partner Petronas, and with two such exciting drivers, we have all of the building blocks in place to have another successful season in 2010.”

Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports: “In April 1991, when I had been in charge of the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport programme for just six months, Michael was standing beside me on the balcony one evening. Without the slightest doubt, he said in a low voice: “It’s about time that I got into Formula 1″. Michael had just turned 22 years of age and four months later, he made his debut at Spa in a Jordan. Mercedes-Benz helped him to this point and the rest is history: seven World Championship titles, more than any racing driver, 91 Grand Prix wins, more than any racing driver. Michael has more of everything than every other driver. As part of the Mercedes Junior Programme, Michael had raced in Group C sports cars and competed in a few DTM races. Ross Brawn, then our opponent at Jaguar, quickly realised Michael’s talent and they went on to win all seven of his Drivers’ World Championship titles together at Benetton and Ferrari. Our sporting ambition has always been that Michael should drive again where his professional career had started and Michael knew that. We often joked about it after the races and discussed the prospect seriously several times during the last 14 years in Formula 1. It didn’t happen in 1995, it didn’t happen in 1998 and it didn’t happen in 2005. I am delighted that it will now happen in 2010. I am very much looking forward to working with Michael and everybody at Mercedes-Benz and Daimler extends a very warm welcome to our ‘apprentice’ of 19 years ago. That apprentice is now the most successful racing driver of all time.”

– By: Kap Shah

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Videos, Audi, BMW, Land Rover

If you’re like us – and odds are very good you are – you have an evergreen problem. Namely, getting your significant other to feel one-tenth of the excitement about cars that you feel. Sure, you’ve tried explaining that while you almost drove off the freeway, it’s okay because you were trying to catch up with a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy Pace Car. Or that waking up at 5:30 am on a Saturday to stand around in a parking lot drinking coffee and gawking at old cars is a perfectly normal family activity. You’ve probably even suggested that she might be happier driving to work in a Citroën DS. Maybe that last part is just us. But maybe not.

Well friends, we have found the solution. The following ten minute clip of Jeremy Clarkson waxing extra poetic about three “mad” SUVs is practically guaranteed to delight even the most fervent, dyed-in-the-wool car hater. It’s simply brilliant. Why? Because it’s Jeremy at his very best. Yes, of course, he insults stewardesses, environmentalists and the mentally ill all the while powersliding around an abandoned air strip. But he does it all in his 100-percent totally lovable way that frankly we find impossible to resist. Even those spouses that think your big, fat V8, “sounds wasteful” are sure to become fast fans. How could anyone argue with “sliced dolphins?” Make the jump to watch the video.

[Source: Top Gear via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Top Gear pits BMW X5 M against Audi Q7 TDI and Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged

VIDEO: Top Gear pits BMW X5 M against Audi Q7 TDI and Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Declining underwriting standards are back! – Are Declining Downpayment Standards a Good Idea? – Tiam Iacono – refers to a WSJ aerticle – The changes, which are being done on a market-by-market basis, mean buyers in some parts of the country can now borrow 95% instead of 90% of a property’s value. Until recently, mortgage companies had tighter standards for these markets because of falling home prices. … Earlier this month, MGIC removed New Orleans, Dover, Del., Akron, Ohio, and four other areas in Ohio from its list of restricted markets. The moves followed the company’s decision in September to loosen restrictions on 11 markets, including Denver and St. Louis … – TheMessThatGreensapnMade

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***   Bank of America sells exec’s house for substantially less than asking price – By David Mildenberg – Bank of America, the biggest U.S. home lender, sold a home for its top housing executive for 44 percent less than its initial asking price set last year, property records show.  Barbara Desoer, head of the bank’s home-loan and insurance unit, put her 4,500-square-foot house in Charlotte, N.C., on the market Aug. 1, 2008, for $1.675 million. The home sold on Nov. 22 for $930,500, according to a Multiple Listing Service report. – Seattle Times

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Fannie’s Christmas Present – A Delayed Repo – Bruce Krasting – … Assume that all of the lenders followed Fannie’s lead and suspended foreclosures from the 19th to the 3rd. That would be a pretty big deal. The number of foreclosure has now reached a level of 11,000 per day. So this break in the action by the lenders would defer as many as 160,000 homes from foreclosure. But that is only for two weeks. It just means the January/February numbers will have a bulge … other thoughts – Zero Hedge

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new reverse mortgage hybrid products? – Hybrid Concepts Look Good on Paper, Regulatory Approval Could be Lengthy – Combining a reverse mortgage with other financial products continues to be a topic debated in our industry and in the halls of Congress.  An article from Investment News describes how companies like Sun Life Financial are developing a hybrid benefit linked products which could involve a reverse mortgage … – Reverse Mortgage Daily

has link – MetLife Releases Reverse Mortgage Guide for Consumers – MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI) announced the release of The Essentials: Reverse Mortgages to help consumers make informed decisions regarding the use of home equity to help fund one’s retirement. – Reverse Mortgge Daily

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(MBS) The Inflation Bomb Hiding On The Fed’s Balance Sheet – John Carney – … Think of it this way. If the Fed bought a mortgage backed security for $100 but can only sell it for $90, there’s a 10% inflationary discount occurring. Which is to say, the Fed’s MBS has inflation built right into it. There’s no way out … –   The Money Game @
Business Insider

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Mortgage Meltdown Continues – by Larry Doyle – While the equity market continues its ascent into the heavens, our housing market continues its descent into hell.  How long can these two indicators continue their contradictory movements? – Sense on Cents   

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lots of neat charts – Last chance for a 5% mortgage – Scott Grannis – Calafia Beach Pundit
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Thousands May Incorrectly Be Using Stimulus Tax Breaks – By LYNNLEY BROWNING – Thousands of American taxpayers incorrectly claimed more than $500 million in tax benefits under the Obama administration’s tax break for first-time home buyers, a government watchdog report said Tuesday. … The report said that as of July 25, 73,799 taxpayers had incorrectly claimed $504 million in credits in the program for first-time home buyers. … – NY Times
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Nearly 40% of Mortgages are now FHA, says NAR – By AUSTIN KILGORE – HousingWire

La pasada semana, el Tribunal del Distrito de Seúl aprobó el plan de reestructuración de SsangYong lo que ya confirma al completo que la marca no desaparecerá. Todos sus problemas comenzaron cuando se declaró en suspensión de pagos a comienzos de este mismo año seguido de una complicada huelga y un complicado proceso económico-laboral de negociación, que ha llegado a buen puerto.

Tras la jubilación anticipada de casi el 40% de la plantilla los tribunales han considerado que se ha mejorado productividad y eficiencia, con lo que no pondrán obstáculos a su resucitación económica. Entre sus principales objetivos, está una refinanciación de las deudas y una dilución del accionariado: SAIC pasará a controlar sólo el 11% del capital de SsangYong, frente al 51% previo con el que obtenia el control total.

A día de hoy, el fabricante coreano sigue centrado en el desarrollo de SUV y monovolúmenes, pero ahora más enfocado a lo que el mercado quiere, modelos más compactos y a la vez eficientes. Toda esta reestructuración costará unos 300 millones de euros, pero garantizará la vuelta a los beneficios antes de 2011.

Related posts:

1. El SsangYong Rodius contará con navegador de serie
2. SsangYong C200 estará en el Salón de Barcelona
3. SsangYong ofrece descuentos durante el mes de Septiembre

Apparently the White House is getting freaked out about the unpopularity of the healthcare bill. It wants to shift fast and hard towards the issue of a new jobs bill — AKA a second stimulus.

Perhaps this week’s weak GDP report slapped The White House back into reality, and got them thinking we’re not out of the woods yet.

The Senate will still vote on its version of the healthcare bill tomorrow, but the White House no longer expects the bill to be adopted in January.

POLITICO: The White House privately anticipates health care talks to slip into February — past President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address — and then plans to make a “very hard pivot” to a new jobs bill, according to senior administration officials.

Obama has been told that disputes over abortion and the tight schedule are highly likely to delay a final deal, a blow to the president, who had hoped to trumpet a health care victory in his big speech to the nation. But he has also been told that House Democratic leaders seem inclined, at least for now, to largely accept the compromise worked out in the Senate, virtually ensuring he will eventually get a deal.

Read the whole thing >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The Second Stimulus Is Now A Done Deal
• Just Because Healthcare Stocks Are Soaring, It Doesn’t Mean The Reform Bill Is A Massive Sellout
• Q3 GDP Revised All The Way Down To 2.2%, Much Lower Than Expectations

Yesterday I challenged you to estimate my body fat percentage by looking at a recent picture. To be scientific about this little exercise I chose to reference as the correct answer the results of the “gold standard” hydrostatic weighing I had subjected myself to at the Malibu gym (it was actually a specialized truck that shows up once a year and performs the intricate and expensive underwater weighing tests for $60 each). 317 of you took a stab at guessing from the photo of me. It’s clear to me that many of you are quite good at estimating actual body fat levels (the average guess was 6.7%), but Gwen, anticipating the tenor of today’s post, took the prize with the closest guess at 12.5%… Ironically, that was also the highest guess of all and yet it was still a full 4 percentage points lower than what the actual “gold standard” test demonstrated. That’s right, my test score showed that I am 16.9% body fat. That’s 28 pounds of pure fat – if you believe the lab values. Even my wife Carrie tested lower at 13%. Am I really that fat? Probably not, but I went through this exercise to illustrate a point about which I will write today: that quite often, these so-called “gold standard” lab values are of little actual predictive value. Sometimes these tests are just plain wrong. And sometimes they can create far more problems than they solve. And if they are that far off when something is largely visible, what happens when they are dealing with more intricate hidden body chemistry? In this case, my jeans still fit loosely, so I really don’t care what the lab value was. I know the reality. But if I lived only by the lab values, I’d be inclined to start cutting calories immediately to lose weight.

In my estimation, medicine has become way too reliant on testing for lab values that reflect aggregates, population norms, cohort quintiles from dubious studies, or simple averages to arrive at reference ranges and the calculated risk factors that these numbers appear to represent. Even the term “risk” is deceptive, because an increase in risk for a disease doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get the disease – even if you show a strong genetic predisposition (another test I wonder about). Sometimes the preventive or prophylactic treatments that follow such tests are useless or even harmful. Nevertheless, doctors often prescribe, biopsy, radiate, excise or otherwise operate based on assumptions they have made regarding your relative risk of disease – and sometimes simply on their relative risk of getting sued if they don’t follow the standard of care – based solely on lab values. We have spoken here often about how medicine is not “black and white” and how there is typically not a right answer to a medical issue so much as an educated opinion (or not) on a course of action. It’s my contention that your own opinion is often the most precise and valid. Certainly, use your doctor, but do your own research to be sure you make an informed decision.

Case in point, I had breakfast with a friend a few weeks ago who wanted my opinion on his recent blood tests and whether or not he should continue taking statins. Right off the bat I told him (as I am telling you now) that I am not an MD and am not allowed to advise anyone on any medical issues whatsoever. So we agreed to have a philosophical discussion (like we are having here now). He showed me the results of two blood lipid panels taken from the same sample (blood drawn in the same collection sitting) but that were sent to two different labs that same day. Of course, as I anticipated, no two lab values were the same from one lab’s test results to the other. Most notably, the total LDL differed by 40% from one test to the other. That’s a little disconcerting in itself. On both of these tests my friend’s total cholesterol was way under 200 and his HDL was over 100, which “philosophically” would put him in the lowest risk category for CHD regardless of which test was the more accurate. But my friend has been running scared his entire life because his father had a fatal heart attack at age 51. As a consequence, he has it in his mind that he needs to get the lowest LDL score he can possibly muster, come hell or high water and regardless of the notion that very low cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk in overall mortality. He eats well (mostly Primal) and gets a lot of exercise on his road bike (in my opinion maybe too much) but he still lives his life in fear of what the numbers might represent. And he agonizes over which data set is the “real” one. At his doctors urging he has even been taking statins as a “precautionary and preventive” measure (and now complains of fuzzy thinking). We ended the conversation with my telling him, ironically, that his relative risk of death or disability from riding his bike 200 miles a week on those mean streets in an effort to protect his heart is measurably higher than his risk of having a fatal MI that might result from his pure cholesterol numbers. And his increased risk from the stress of worrying probably trumps them both.

I have mentioned my skepticism of lab tests in the past (Makes My Blood Boil, Weighing the Evidence: Science and Anecdote in Nutrition Studies). It started when, as anti-doping commissioner for the International Triathlon Union I was obliged to prosecute athletes for doping violations when their tests showed 4 or 5 billionths of a gram of a steroid metabolite at a time when the legal allowable threshold was “only” 3. A billionth of a gram could then be the difference between being labeled for life as a cheater or competing legally. Seeing how imprecise lab tests can be from one lab or one machine to the other, and how these wavy lines on sheets of graph paper could be interpreted so differently from one “expert” to the next, my skepticism grew. At some future date I will get into details regarding the many common diagnostic tests that are now being re-evaluated for their lack of effectiveness (mammograms, colonoscopies, CT scans, etc) but for now, if you want a really scary example of how nebulous lab values can influence serious medical decisions, go here and read what the National Cancer Institute has to say about using PSA values to diagnose prostate cancer and read the answer to question 4. Turns out the gold standard for diagnosing prostate cancer relies on a test for which it is acknowledged there is no “normal” or “abnormal” PSA. And that while the “over/under” lab value for a biopsy has historically been set at 4.0,  65-75% of men who have PSAs of 4.1-9.9 are found NOT to have prostate cancer. More damage is often done by the subsequent invasive test (biopsy) than by leaving things as is. Meanwhile, 15% of men biopsied with PSAs below 4 are shown to have prostate cancer. As many docs say, “it’s not much, but it’s the best we have” in diagnosing this serious condition. True, but little consolation when you risk losing sexual function as a result of an invasive biopsy which is, in turn, a result of a nebulous lab value.

Anyway, back to my personal example. Why was my body fat test so far off (if in fact it was)? Who knows? I can estimate it on website calculators and get closer to what I think it is. Like this one… where I come in at 8.68% (I do like that number better). With some tests like skinfold and hydrostatic weighing, there is an assumption that the exact same data (skinfold thickness or underwater weight) when applied to older people (I’m 56) reflect a naturally higher body fat for some reason. But when I researched how they actually got the original data they use to estimate body fat, I found that it was largely from autopsies performed in the 1860’s and 1870’s. Not many autopsies have been done for that purpose since. Also, the reference data on skinfold tests and hydrostatic weighing still assumes that as you get older, you automatically lose muscle (regardless of how you eat or how much you work out) and that your skinfold thickness decreases so much that the same lab value at 22 years of age represents twice the body fat at 56. Hey, since 50 is the new 30, maybe those lab values are obsolete, too?

By the way, the gal who administered my body fat test, and who has done thousands of these, had guessed me at 8% before she started the test. She was so flustered by my results, she insisted on doing the test again. And then once again. And then simply handed me my $60 back and said, “I have no explanation, but clearly your test is way off.” Frustrating. But this sort of thing happens every minute of every day in doctors’ offices and clinics throughout the country. Except the doctor doesn’t acknowledge it and you don’t get a refund.

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Related posts:

1. Makes My Blood Boil

The iPhone has been dubbed an equalizer for independent game developers, since the App Store—in theory—gives them access to millions of potential players, without forcing them to partner up with a big publisher. But as various reports have shown, games from publishing giants like EA and Gameloft (EPA: GFT) dominate the App Store in terms of sales and exposure, with a large percentage of indie developers left stuck with great games that they’re unable to monetize.

That’s where startups like Playhaven hope to come in. Instead of creating games, they’re trying to create communities and exposure for the game developers. The goal is to help them sell more games—and eventually—pay for the assistance. Playhaven, for example, creates mini “fan sites” where players can create profiles, post their scores, and share strategies about specific games. Officially launched in June 2009, Playhaven says over 130 developers have “claimed” the game communities that it set up for them.

“The App Store is like a black box,” says Playhaven CEO Raymond Lau (pictured). “Aside from regional sales stats, developers have no way of really knowing who their players are. They can’t even respond to [negative or positive] reviews.” Once they “claim” ownership of the microsites that Playhaven has set up, game developers can communicate with their fan bases—providing updates about new versions of their games or glitches, for example—and also cross-promote through other social networks.

The startup helped developer Bryan Mitchell grow the Facebook community for his puzzle game, Geared (iTunes link). Geared had around 100 fans when he first created the Facebook page; that grew to over 7,300 fans within three weeks of interacting with (and claiming) the corresponding community on Playhaven. “Geared was one of the top-selling games in the App Store in August and September, and Bryan had plans for the sequel from the start,” Lau said. “But he had no way of interacting with players to get a read for what they’d want.”

Playhaven’s “app within an app” setup means that developers can plug links to their communities right into their games, with no SDK or other programming needed. The service is free for now; Lau says the company is focused on “building the developer network—not monetization,” but the plan is to eventually offer premium services and ads.

On the premium end, Playhaven could offer developers advanced analytics about their game communities (i.e. zip codes, time zones they play in, percentage of in-app purchases vs. subscription players on a daily basis), as well as consulting. “If a developer with a hit iPhone game wants to advertise a similar game on the Wii or PlayStation Network, we could help them do that, because we have all the user data,” Lau said. Founded in 2008 by Lau, Erik Yao, Kurtiss Hare, and Stephen Altamirano, Playhaven is backed by an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Tandem Entrepreneurs and startup incubator Launchbox Digital.

Related

• EA, Gameloft Dominate The App Store’s Best-Selling Games Of ’09
• Apple Seeking To Bring An iPhone Game Expert In House

LOVATO Electric presents the new digital multimeter type DMG700 to control energy distribution systems.
It is capable of measuring 160 electrical quantities.
Main features include:
– Simple and intuitive menu navigation
– Graphic display with 5-language text
– Function expandability by plug-in modules
– USB, RS232 and RS485 interface
– High measurement accuracy
– Wide power supply, measurement and temperature ranges
– Suitable for LV, MV and HV energy systems.

The DMG700 digital multimeter communicates with a PC through expansion modules with a relevant remote control software.

A few months have passed since we have announced the launch of the EOS line, our new miniature, integrated safety light curtain, and we are now introducing more new versions.

EOS4 product range is becoming wider thanks to the new models with 14 mm resolution – 6 m range, and to the XH versions having a 20 m operating range.

Introducing new hand wheel with new ergonomic design, robust construction and guaranteed lowest price on the market. Our size EX160 is the best seller for the quality, design and price.
We are also capable to make any other part for much lower cost.
We are offering direct factory prices from our warehouse in Czech Republic.
We are looking for smart direct buyers and resellers worldwide.
Please, visit our web page www.elementrix.net to see the range of our products and feel free to ask for the quotation.

Casella hasn’t rested on its laurels since it launched the CEL-200 series of sound level meters last year to help H&S professionals comply with the implementation of the Physical Agents (Noise) Directive – the Control of Noise at Work Regulations (2005) in the UK.

The introduction of the CEL-242 and CEL-246 brings new capability to the range, which now stands at four instruments. The new models can store time history onto an onboard memory capable of logging over 400,000 measurements.

Data is stored as files compatible with spreadsheet software packages (.csv format) and can simply be transferred via USB then graphed as required with any standard package.

The CEL-200 range can display a non-decaying maximum hold value on a number of screens showing the A or C frequency weighting and slow, fast or Impulse time responses.

The time history facility of the new models shows how the noise has fluctuated and allows users to understand at what point noise control measures are necessary. The equipment has a large, high-resolution display which show results either numerically or by bar graph and can give a time history trace over the last 1 or 5 minute period.

Ideal for users who need a simple, low cost meter, the CEL-200 Series is fully compliant with all national and international accuracy standards unlike some budget priced “indicators”.

Each meter is available on its own or as part of a full measurement kit (e.g. CEL-246/K1) with a matching acoustic calibrator and other accessories, including calibration certificates and two year warranty.

Optional software (dB24) is required in order to download the stored data.

Eneltec Par 38 12 Watts LED Spot Lamp has the standard E27 Screw in Base: Installation is Fast and Easy. No modification necessary. Simply unscrew the old energy wasting Incandescent or Compact Fluorescent bulb and screw in the new PAR 38 12 Watt 12 LED energy efficient long life replacement. For the perfect retrofit or new installation, our PAR 38 12 Watt 12 LED Spot Lamps offer an unlimited variety of uses. Uses 12 x 1W high power LEDs. This light is comparable to 120W light bulb.

-Luminous Flux: 850 Lumens
-Base Type E27: Standard replacement of existing energy draining Incandescent or Compact Fluorescent with no modification.
-Beam Angle: 30 Degrees
-Body Temperature: Less than 53 degrees Celsius
-LED Working Temperature: Less than 62 degree Celsius
-Brightness Degradation: 3%-5%/1kh
-Life Span: 50,000 hours
-Color: Red,Green,Blue,Yellow,Warm White and Cool White;
-Aluminum Housing
-No UV or IR Radiation

APPLICATION:

Household Spot Light indoor / outside
Entertainment Lighting
Architectural Lighting
City Beautification
Medical lighting
Portable Lighting

Gamm presents the new range of metallic plungers model APP/A. Black oxide steel threaded body with screwdriver slotted head. Hardened steel bolt. Stainless steel spring. Available also with heavy end-force spring. For certain minimum quantities custom threaded metal body upon request. For more information you can visit our web-site.

Hydraulics specialist Holmatro puts heavy duty lifting applications in a new perspective by introducing its aluminium cylinder line. Compared to steel models, the new lightweight cylinders are easy to handle.

Mastering power
All Holmatro products are based on the ground rule that forces can only be applied usefully when controlled effectively. The new aluminium high pressure hydraulic cylinders are available in weights up to 50% lighter than of steel cylinders, but still enable you to master the power you need.

Ergonomic solution
Distinctive orange tool handles and the weight of Holmatro aluminium cylinders make them particularly useful on remote sites or on jobs where they have to be carried from one application to the next. They can easily be moved and are quickly applicable for various purposes. The provided benefit has an added advantage: Using these lightweight cylinders also is a substantial improvement in reducing back and shoulder injuries.

We have seem many LG eXpo videos, but not many with the projector.  Unfortunately this is not one, but it does briefly compare the device with the HTC Touch Pro 2  and the original HTC Touch Pro, which gives a good idea of the size and bulk of the device.

The Lg eXpo is available from AT&T for $199 after a mail-in rebate.  The projector is unfortunately not yet, but hopefully will come through soon.

Read more on WMExpert’s impressions here.

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, BMW, Reviews

BMW‘s storied history of building roadsters dates back to the original 328 of the 1930s. However, there have been gaps in the brand’s open-top lineage, including one extended stretch through the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. After a dalliance with the bizarre European market Z1, BMW finally got serious about roadsters again in the ’90s with the introduction of the Z3.

Earlier this year, the Munich brand introduced what’s essentially the third generation of its modern mainline roadster (discounting the aforementioned low-volume Z1 and the Z8) in the shape of its all-new Z4. Upon its introduction, the esteemed Mr. Harley took our first crack at the new “E89” at its Southern California launch last spring and came away with mixed feelings.

To be fair, whenever an automaker builds a new model, there’s always a distinction between what the engineers and designers expect of it and what consumers bank on. There’s also a big difference between spending a few hours on a prescribed driving route under controlled conditions versus living with a car as a daily driver for a week or longer. So we wanted to spend time with the Z4 on more familiar turf to see what life is like with BMW’s newest roadster.

Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Max Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2009 BMW Z4 sDrive30i is an easy lover

Review: 2009 BMW Z4 sDrive30i is an easy lover originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Post updated to clarify that it was an editorial aide, rather than an editor who witnessed things

Via Jay Rosen we learn of the absolutely bizarre story of how a Washington Post editorial aide witnessed an altercation involving an off-duty police officer who pulled his gun on people in a snowball fight — and the eventual Washington Post writeup on the story which completely ignored the eyewitness account of its editorial aide in favor of the claim by the police that the gun wasn’t drawn. Yes, a Washington Post staffer happened to have been on the scene and witnessed the whole thing. He called it in and told a reporter about it — but the reporter simply ignored the guy’s account. As Jay Rosen notes: “Who you gonna believe? The police department or your own staffer’s lying eyes?” Even worse, by the time the Washington Post put out its report, there was already photographic evidence of the drawn gun posted online, along with a video where the cop admits to pulling the gun.

Later on, the Washington Post did “update” its report, mentioning the online evidence, but waited for quite some time before finally linking to the video (and never linked to the photos). As the Washington City Paper notes about this, it’s in part due to very old school media thinking:

Yet the reason why the Post screwed this up is that they all have linkophobia. If you link to an outlet—such as, God forbid, the Washington City Paper—you’ve lost. You got scooped and all your colleagues are going to look down on you. Linking is a huge sign of weakness—you just can’t do it. Far better to, like, call a top police official, buy his version of events, and just place it in a post, regardless of the contradicting evidence that’s already posted elsewhere.

Take a close look at that 10:20 update on the maybe-gun-pulling cop: “The plainclothes D.C. police detective may have unholstered his pistol during the confrontation with participants in the huge snowball fight, based on video and photos posted on the Internet.”

Bold and italics are mine. They’re mine because this is the most cowardly, selfish, arrogant news conduct out there today. What the fuck is “video and photos posted on the Internet”? How does that help readers? It’s as if I can go to www.internet.com, and there, on the first screen, will be the video and photos of the snowball fight and the maybe-gun-wielding cop. “Posted on the Internet” would be acceptable if this were 1997.

The reporters used this hazy phrasing because they were too chicken-shit to do something that we all have learned to do over the past, say, decade or more. And that’s to link to competitors and acknowledge their contributions to stories.

Remember, this is the Washington Post, that recently had a column claiming that a blog linking to a Washington Post story (multiple times) had ripped off the Washington Post. So, perhaps that explains why the Washington Post refused to link to others who had more accurate takes on the story. It didn’t want to “rip them off,” and preferred to get the story wrong, even though it employed an eye witness.

So where are all those reporters who insist that the professional press is needed because they get this stuff right, while it’s the upstarts that rush to post false claims?

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Hace ya bastante tiempo desde que General Motors dió luz verde al nuevo Cadillac CTS-V Coupé y gracias a las últimas noticias publicadas ya podemos decir que estamos más cerca de poder ver en vivo este nuevo modelo.

Cadillac ha confirmado mediante una nota de prensa que el CTS-V Coupé hará acto de presencia en el próximo Salón de Detroit.

Por otra parte, os recordamos que este vehículo contará con un motor V8 de 6.2 litros y 556 CV de potencia. Seguiremos atentos por si se filtra algún tipo de información.

Related posts:

1. Cadillac CTS-Coupé presentado en directo
2. Cadillac CTS Coupé
3. General Motors esta desarrollando el Cadillan CTS-V Coupé

From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

Some critics charge that the new policies pursued by President Obama and the 111th Congress generated the huge federal budget deficits that the nation now faces. In fact, the tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the economic downturn together explain virtually the entire deficit over the next ten years

As Ezra Klein notes, Congressional Republicans want to use the huge deficits to browbeat the Democrats into…what, exactly? More tax cuts? Bigger deficits? Electoral defeat, yes, but there doesn’t seem to be any realistic plan coming out of the minority to budget responsibly. In fact, short term frugality (through near-term spending cuts) will lead to a crippled recovery, and therefore a larger deficit in absolute terms along with a smaller economy for the coming decade.

That’s not fiscal conservatism. That’s holding your breath to try to get your way.